WorldPride Toronto bars men’s rights group CAFE from parade

Canadian Association for Equality told they ‘contravene spirit of Pride’


WorldPride organizers have revoked the permit of a local men’s rights group to walk in the Pride parade June 29.

Despite claiming to have walked in the parade last year, the Canadian Association for Equality (CAFE) was notified by letter the week of June 24 that their permit for this year’s parade had been revoked because the work of their organization may “contravene the spirit of the mission, vision, and values of Pride Toronto and WorldPride.”

CAFE, whose website says that the organization is committed to achieving equality for all Canadians, have been associated with several controversial events over the last two years.

In 2013, the group brought American men’s rights speaker and author Dr Warren Farrell to the University of Toronto for a lecture. Farrell is the author of The Myth of Male Power and Why Men Earn More.

The group was also forced to cancel a concert celebrating a holiday they call “Equality Day” that was supposed to take place on the Toronto Islands, at Gibraltar Point, on June 1. Artscape, which owns the space at Gibraltar Point, was unaware of CAFE’s controversial connections until furor over the concert was raised on social media, according to a report in the Toronto Star. Artscape officials asked the group to hold their event elsewhere.

Kevin Beaulieu, the executive director of Pride Toronto, tells Xtra that concerns about CAFE’s activities had been raised within the last few days. “A decision had to be made quickly in the interest of the comfort and safety and ability of groups to participate in the parade,” he says, adding that he met with Justin Trottier, who made the original application to march in the parade, to explain the decision in person.

Representatives from CAFE are upset that their permit has been revoked. Eleanor Levine, a board member and spokesperson for the organization, says that they believe they have been misrepresented as an organization that hates women.

“We are not anti-women,” she says. “We are absolutely inclusive.”

She says CAFE will still be involved in WorldPride, even if they can’t march in the parade. The group claims they are hosting a Pride party in downtown Toronto June 28, though venue details have not yet been provided.

Pride Toronto sparked outrage in 2010 when it attempted to ban Queers Against Israeli Apartheid from marching in the parade. Though the group’s presence remains controversial to some, Pride Toronto eventually relented after furious community members pointed out the fallacy of censoring even unwelcome views in a parade founded on free expression.

 

HG Watson is Xtra's former Toronto news reporter.

Read More About:
Culture, News, Toronto, Canada, Pride

Keep Reading

Jimmy Heagarty

‘Big Brother 27’ star Jimmy Heagerty is making for great TV. It could be even better with more queer people

By very virtue of their sexuality, queer houseguests cannot have the same experience as their straight competitors

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 10’ delivers a wildly entertaining finale—after a waste-of-time semifinals

It’s hard to figure out just what producers were thinking with this merge format
Andrea Gibson, left, and Megan Falley, the subjects of the film "Come See Me in the Good Light," pose for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in Park City, Utah.

Andrea Gibson helped me see life in the good light

Gibson’s poetry about queerness and mortality taught thousands of people how to reject apathy and embrace life
Collage of greyscale photos of a sofa, chair, shelf and the lower bodies of two people, against a purple and pink background

We need queer gathering spaces more than ever

The 11-part series “Taking Space” explores where we go next as the lights of gay bars dim